By Solomon Hamala
IGANGA
Iganga Municipal Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands has unveiled a 30 year master development strategy (MDS) aimed at improving service delivery.
The LC 5 chairman Iganga, Ezra Gabula while speaking at the launch of the master development strategy held at the district chambers on 15th October 2021 said it was high time leaders lobbied for the annexing of sub counties neighboring Iganga municipal council to ensure setting up of development projects that can help create job opportunities to youths.
“There is idle land lying in the neighboring sub counties that can be used to set up projects to benefit our youths,” he said.
Gabula said the district is in its final phase of relocating its headquarters to the neighboring Namungalwe sub county to enable Iganga municipal council create room for expansion on available land.
He said Central division in Iganga municipality recently lost chance to have a seed secondary school constructed in the area after authorities failed to secure land for construction as required by government.
Gabula cautioned politicians to desist from infighting, bickering and instead concentrate on encouraging locals to pay taxes, abide by council regulations to ensure the area realizes its master development strategy basing on strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats(SWOTS).
He said the increasing population in Iganga district was exerting pressure on environmentally friendly resources since majority of locals entirely rely on wood based fuels for purposes of cooking.
“In the process, most of the tree cover is felled down for purposes of fire wood or burning charcoal,” he said.
The Senior Physical Planner Ministry of Lands, Farida Namukasa urged leaders to utilize the available physical structures to set up income generating activities for youths such that they can improve on their household incomes instead of relying on support from government.
“When you move around this town one can notice that there are very many opportunities that can be tapped to create jobs but they are not being utilized,” she said.
The Physical Planner Iganga Municipal Council, Andrew Othieno said efforts to expand the road network to the neighboring sub counties has always been hampered as a result of the small geographical location.
“In a bid to reduce on accidents along the main highway, council has always proposed to construct an alternative road connecting to Busei trading center in Nakalama Sub County but it has been scrapped out just because it lies in another area,” he said.
Othieno said lack of a disaster response management plan has always made it hard for the district to handle emergencies like floods, fires.
“In case there was an early warning mechanism then it would be easier to seek solutions during times of disaster,” he said.
Fahad Mugoya, a resident of Iganga municipal council urged authorities to implement an ordinance that was passed ten years back to demolish all iron sheet buildings constructed by Asians in the early 1970s along the main high way to be replaced by high storied structures to solve the problem of land shortage.
